Hey Guys,
So sometime in the next couple of months I want a build a PC for Maya, Adobe Products, Compositing Programs, etc. Basically to make my ownCG short films. Right now I have a Macbook Pro 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB of ram. I mean I love my macbook but I feel like its time for an upgrade and get a beast computer.
I have never built a PC and I have no idea what some specs would be good for using those programs. My budget would around $1000. I know I also want dual monitors.
I think plenty of specs are quite possible. It would be better to address your requirements to some hardware company I think.
Tom’s Hardware has some great price-based gaming pc builds (unless you need uber Open GL performance, a rig that will game well will generally also work well for content creation). For a $1k build, you could aim for a middle ground between the two builds listed below:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-mini-itx-gaming-pc,3513.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-do-it-yourself-pc,3509.html
I would recommend that you consider a full-sized case though, as this will allow more upgrade flexibility. Also for content creation, you will probably want to prioritize getting a relatively large amount of RAM (over other components). Frankly as old as your current machine is, anything you buy should provide you with a significant boost in performance.